The public relations industry's growth slowed globally to single digits in 2015, despite PR's high value to companies that employ it, according to an infographic by MediaMiser.

Overall, PR's conversion rates are 10-50 times those of advertising, but the media industry—including people's media consumption habits—has been rapidly changing, the infographic points out.

For example, 83% of journalists say they use just 10% of press releases they receive, and just 27% of PR agency leaders say "public relations" will adequately describe what they do, per stats highlighted in the infographic.

If PR is to retain its importance, PR professionals and firms will need to be able to demonstrate results, MediaMiser asserts, adding that they will need to have ready access to actionable data, driven by tech-driven media intelligence.